LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Disposable vapes will be banned in the UK next year to protect children’s health and tackle “throwaway” culture, ministers said on Thursday.

Public Health and Prevention Minister Andrew Gwynne said it was “deeply worrying” that a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds used a vape last year.

“Banning disposable vapes will not only protect the environment, but importantly reduce the appeal of vapes to children and keep them out of the hands of vulnerable young people,” he said.

Plans to ban single-use vapes were first announced in January by the previous Conservative government but not enacted before it lost power in July.

The new Labour government will push ahead with the plan in its Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Gwynne called the law “the biggest public health intervention in a generation”, adding that it would “protect young people from becoming hooked on nicotine and pave the way for a smoke-free UK”.

Junior environment minister Mary Creagh said discarded vapes were “extremely wasteful” and a “blight” contributing to a flood of litter on the nation’s streets.

According to the government, vaping in England increased by more than 400 percent between 2012 and 2023, with 9.1 percent of the public now using them.

“The long-term health impacts of vaping are unknown, and the nicotine contained within them can be highly addictive,” a statement said.

The government said disposable vapes would be banned in England from June 1, adding that it had worked closely with the devolved governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to “align coming into force dates” across the four UK nations.